Loose-leaf binder.



F. W. DUSTAN. LOOSE LEAF BINDER. MPucmmu FILED sEPr. 25, 1915.

mmm Me. 11,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

F. W. DUSTAN.

LOGSE LEAF BINDER.` v AFPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25. 1916.

1,249,929, Patented meu. 11,191?.

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FREDERICK WM. DUSTAN, F CLARKSTN, WASHINGTON.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

y Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 191'?.

Application filed September 25, 1916. Serial No. 122,038.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK YV. DUsran, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarkston, in the county of Asotin and @tate of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description `of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

This invention relates to paper files and binders, and more especially to pins which are extensible and hinged; and the object of the saine is to produce a binder for the insertion of loose leaves onto pins which are eXtensible as the thickness 0f the device increases, the binder having an intermediate plate serving as a guide for all the pins and two side plates each serving as a carrier for one set of pins and a lock for the other set, and all plates being hinged to the back plate and the hinging of the side plates thereto being such that it is effective only when they are unlocked from the pins. 1n carrying out this general idea the invention embraces rnany details of structure which will be more fully set forth in the following specification and claims, reference being had to the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of this device with its side plates or locks open and one of them distended, portions of its intermediate plate being broken away to show the loose washers for the pins; Fig. 2 is an end view thereof, and Figs. 3 and l are sections on the lines 3-3 and t--l thereof respectively. i

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device closed, parts being broken away to show 'the structure of the hinge for one side plate; Fig. 6 is an end view, and Figs. 7 and 8 are sections on the lines 7 7 and 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the device closed, its side plates being turned outward `and its intermediate plate turned to one side;V and Fig 10 gives details of the cutting of the inner edges of the leaves in two groups.

Figu 11 is a detail of one of the pins with its parts separated,

Fig. 12 is a detail of one of the hinges for the side plates, and the parts which it connects.

Fig. 13 is a detail of the intermediate.

plate.

The back of the book or binding is indicated by the letter B in Fig. l, and the covers by the letter C. The insertible leaves are in two groups lettered L and R in Fig. 10, and their inner edges are cutl in a manner yet to be described. Otherwise this specification is not concerned with the elements which have been mentioned, and they are purposely omitted from the drawings for sake of clearness. The remaining parts which are preferably of metal constitute the loose leaf binder forming the subject-matter ofthe present invention.

To the binding B is secured in any suitable manner a back plate 1 of appropriate length and width, and hinged at 2 at the transverse center of this plate is an intermediate plate 3 normally upstanding at right angles to the back plate than which it is somewhat shorter. This intermediate plate is preferably of double thickness, best seen in Fig. 13, its leaves being both provided near each end with upright slots lf which register with each other when the leaves are connected face to face as by tangs 5 on one leaf passing through slits 6 in the other and turned down in a manner well understood, and possibly also by having the corners of one leaf turned over to embrace the corners of the other at 7. The lower edges of the leaves may well respectively carry knuckles S and 9 engaging the pintles of the hinges Q. Between these leaves at each end of the plate are disposed loose washers 10 for a purpose yet to appear.

Along both edges of the back plate stand side plateswhich are duplicates of each other, and a description of one will suflice. 1t is made up of a lower bar 11 preferably notched at two points in its upper edge as at 12, an upperbar 13, a pair of links 14 pivotally connecting these bars near their ends so that the bars must always stand in parallelism, and a lever 15 preferably of sheet metal with its body or handle bent into inverted U-shape and having a thumb piece 16, its lower end forked and passing astride both bars with its fork arms pivoted at 17 to the lower bar 11 and connected above the` latter by a rivet 18 standing between the bars. Thus when the handle is raised the lever turns around on its pivot 17 and the pin or rivet 18 raises the upper bar 13 out of contact with the upper edge of the lower bar, and therefore whatever may have been clamped in the notches 12 is released.

The hinge 2O Vfor each side plate is best seen in Fig. 12. lt comprises an L-shaped member of stiff wire whereof one arm 21 extends always across the back plate 1 and is rotatably mounted in a long tubular knuckle 22 fast thereon,xthe extremity of the arm being turned down as at 23 so that it cannot rotate while it stands within the knuckle, which it does when its side plate is drawn outward. The other arm 24 is rotatably mounted in a long tubular knuckle 25 attached to or formed as a part of the inner fork arm of the lever 15 and standing parallel with the length ofits handle. It fellows that when this lever is turned down to close the bars of the side plate, the knuckle 25 stands in a horizontal plane and the entire side plate maybe rocked outward on the arm 24 as a hinge. The cross arm 21 rocks in the knuckle 22 as a hinge when the lever is'thrown upward, but in that position the side plate cannot be turned outward because the arm 24 is no longer horizontal.

Directly engaging the leaves are devices commonly known as pins but which in my invention are ofpeculiar construction as best seen in Fig. 11. Each is in two pieces or members telescopically mounted on each other, the inner member being tubular and the louter member preferably iattened and flexible. Said inner member 31 has an eye or knuckle 32 at its'inner'end engaging a staple 33 carried by the lower bar l1 of the sidefplate to which itis hinged, and from this eye vthe member rises in an elbow 34 and then'projects Vinward over the back plate 1 and is tubular' as seen at 35. The other or outer member 36 is preferably a strip of flexible metal whose inner end passes into the tubular portion 35 of the inner member and is turned down or headed at its extremity as at 37, whose body passes loosely through a slit 38 in one of the loose washers 10,' 4and vwhose outer r`end is enlarged or headed as at 39. In the drawings I have sho'i'vn two of these pins connected to the left hand vside plate near its ends and passing through the outermost slots 4 in the inter mediate plate and through the loose washers between the leaves of the same, and two other'similar pinsconnected with the right hand side plate and passing through the remaining slots in the intermediate plate. VVhen'the device is collapsed as seen in Fig. 5, the' outer members 36v of all the pins are telescope'dinto the inner members 31 and yet projeet sufficiently "therefrom so that each passes' completely across the back plate and between the/bars 11,r and 13 of the opposite side plate, engaginganotch 12 therein and beinO held in such notch by the closing down cf the upper bar 13. lVhen the device is open as seen in Figs. 1 to 1, these pins are distended, and the outer member of each slides outward in the tubular portion 35 of its inner member perhaps as far as the downturned inner extremity thereof will permit, while the head 3l) comes up against the loose vasher 10 to prevent the entire separation of parts. At this time the downturned extremity 23 of each cross arm 21 has been slid outward within its knuckle 22 within which it cannot now rotate, and therefore the side plate which is dislended is locked with its bars open and its lever upright.

The use of this device will be best understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 10. ilssuming that each side plate carries only two pins and that they are disposed as shown and described, the inner edges of the left leaves will be provided with two holes at ll and two notches at N, and the inner edges of the right leaves R will also have holes ll and notches N but their disposition will be the reverse of these on the left leaves. rlfhe intermediate plate 3 divides the hinder into halves, and the leaves when inserted in these halves form a. group at the right side and a group at the left side of said plate. 'llo inse t a leaf into the left hand group for instance, the left lever 15 raised by means of its thumb piece 1G, its upper bar 13 is thereby lifted volf its lower bar 11 so that the heads of the pins on the. right side plate are released and the outer members 3G of these pins may be telescoped into their inner members 3l, whereas the pins of the left side plate are fully distended when such plate is drawn away from the back plate, and yettheir heads 39 and extremities 37 prevent the entire discomiection of parts. A left hand leaf L may now be inserted by passing its notches N astride the left hand pins until its holes H come opposite the heads of the right hand pins which latter have been telescoped and are therefore shorter. Then the left side plate is pushed inward, and the heads of the right pins passed between its bars, and when the lever 15 is borne downward these bars come together to lock the pins as has been explained. The same operation will be followed lo in sert a right hand leaf R excepting that it would be at the other side of the intermediate plate 3. lhile either or both side pla-tes are distended and open, they must remain upright because the arms 2l of their hinges are upright, but when they are closed as seen in Fig. l their hinges 2() permit the side plate'to be turned down so as to allow the leaves of the book to lie open, and the hinge connection 32-33 between each pin and itsv side lplate assists. vAlso the hinging ofithe intermediate plate to the back platev Lampes permits the leaves of the book to be thrown over from one side to the other, and therefore the operator is not confined to opening the book always at `its center and throwing 'lll tiltl ttl titi

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the right hand group of leaves to the right ind the leaves in the other group to the e t.

lEspecial attention is called to the use of the downturned extremities 23 of the hinges 20. l prefer to employ these extremities, but they might be omitted. Each is preferably turned from the cross arm 2l in a direction opposite to that in which the arm 24C projects therefrom. It follows that when the lever is thrown upward and the arm 24; is raised, the extremity E23 is turned downward and in that position it may slide through the knuckle 22. The entire separation of the side plate from the remainder of the device is now prevented by the heads 39 of the pins, and the inner arm 2l is of such length that it does not draw out of the knuckle 22 when the pins are fully distended and their heads 39 come up against the washers l0. When the side plate is again closed to a position about over the edge of the black plate, the extremity 23 is projected completely through the knuckle 22, and thereafter when the lever is closed the cross arm :2l turns in said' knuckle and its extremity is turned aside so that it may no longer be drawn through the knuckle. lTherefore the use of this eX- tremity locks the side plate against its being withdrawn from a position about coincident with the side edge of the back plate excepting only when its lever is raised. l/Vith this detail omitted there would be no such lock, and the result would be that a larger number of leaves could be inserted in either group, although the device as a whole would be looser in its binding because its side plates could move out and in freely.

Especial attention is called to the use of the loose washers l0, the flexibility of the pins, and the hinging of the intermediate plate 3. lt mayoften occur with the use of this device that practically two complete books may beheld in one binding one within the right group and the other within the left group of leaves-and if so, one group may build up faster than the other or even quite in advance altogether thereof. The result would be that there would be substantially no leaves at one side of the intermediate plate, and frequent call to turn over the many at the other side thereof-hence the advantage of the hinges 2. Also the fact that the washers may slip up and down between the leaves of the intermediate plate is of advantage, especially where leaves are inserted at one side of such plate and none at the other. Finally, the flexibility of the outer members 36 of the pins not only permits such movement of the washers as the insertion and removal and use of the leaves renders desirable, but permits the turning outward of the side plates-especially if the notches l2 are so shallow as to quite closely engage the free ends of the pins.

What I claim is:

l. In a loose leaf binder, the combination with a back plate, a pair of side plates, a series of extensible pins hingedly connected with each side late, and means on each side plate for detac iably engaging the heads of the pins on the other side plate; of means whereby each side plate is hingedly connected'with the back plate and capable of lateral movement relative thereto.

2. ln a loose leaf binder, the combination with a back plate, a pair of side plates, a series of extensible pins hingedly connected with each side plate, and means on each side plate for detachably engaging the heads of the pins on the other side plate; of a hinge connecting each side plate with the back plate and comprising an L-shaped member, a transverse knuckle on the back plate, and a longitudinal knuckle on the side plate loosely receiving the arms of said member'.

3. In a loose leaf binder, the combination with a back plate, a pair of side plates each composed of two bars and a lever for moving them into contact edge to edge, and a series of pins hingedly connected with the lower bar of each side plate and passing between the bars of the other side plate; of a hinge connecting each side plate with the back plate and comprising an L-shaped member, a transverse tubular knuckle on the back plate in which one arm thereof is rotatably and slidably mounted, and a longitudinal tubular knuckle on the lever of each side plate in which the other arm of said member is rotatably mounted.

ll. In a loose leaf binder, the combination with a back plate, and a pair of side plates whereof each comprises a lower bar notched in its upper edge, an upper bar overlying the same, links pivotally connecting said bars and holding them in parallelism, and a lever having its lower end forked and pivoted to the lower bar, its fork-arms connected by a rivet for raising the upper bar; of a series of telescopic pins each comprising an inner member hinged to the lower bar of one side plate and an outer member' whose inner end telescopes in said inner member and whose outer end passes through a notch in the opposite side plate and is headed, tubular knuckles secured across the back plate and along the inner fork-arms of the levers, and L-shaped hinge members each having its inner arm rotatably and slidably mounted in one knuckle of the back plate and its outer arm rotatably mounted in the knuckle of one lever whereby the side plates may swing' when the levers are depressed but are held upright when the levers are raised.

er Liu-u 3 5. In a loose leaf binder, the Vcombination With a back plate, and a pair of side plates whereof each comprises upper and lower bars, links'pivotally connecting said bars 5 and holding them in parallelism, and levers for moving them together and apart; of a series of pins eachl composed of an inner member hingedl to theloiver bar of one side plate and an outer flexible member Whose l0 inner end telescopes Within its inner inember and Whose outer end passes betiveen the bars of the opposite side plate and is headed, aA pair of tubular -knuckles secured across the back plate, other tubular knuckles secured to the inner fork-arms of said levers, two L-shaped hinged members whereof the outer arm of each isv rotatably mounted in the knuckle of one lever and the inner arm is rotatably and slidably mounted in one of Vthe knuckles of the back plate and has its inner extremity turned down, for the purn pose set forth.

6. In a temporary binder, the combination With a back plate, a pair of side plates hingedly and slidably mounted with relation to the edges of said back plate, Vand a series of extensible pins connected With each side plate and leading across the back plate to and thro-ugh the opposite side plate; of an intermediate plate hingedly mounted on the back plate and having slots through which said pins project.

7. In a temporary binder, the combination With a back plate, a pair of side plates hingedlyl and slidably mounted with relation to the edges of said back plate, and a series of extensible pins connected with each side plate and leading across the back plate to 4Aand through the opposite side plate; of an intermediate plate hingedly mounted on the back plate and having slots through Which said pins project, the intermediate plate being made in leaves, and Washers mounted loosely between the leaves and having slits through vvhich'said pins extend.

8. In a temporary binder, the combination with a back plate, a pair of side plates hingedly mounted with relation to the edges of said back plate, xand a series of pins connected with each side plate and leading across the back plate to and through the opposite side plate; Washers on said pins, of anintermediate plate hingedly 'mounted on the back plate and comprising spaced leaves for connecting said leaves, iii spaced relation to receive said Washers.

9. A loose leaf binder comprising a back plate, tivo side plates and an intermediate plate hingedly connected with the back plate, a series of extensible pins hingedly con neeted With each side plate and leading through the intermediate plate and the other side plate, means for preventing the spreading of the plates when they are collapsed to positions near the edges of the back plate, and manually operated means to release the spreading means.

lO. A loose leaf binder comprising a back plate, tu'o side plates and an intermediate plate hingedly connected with the back plate, a series of extensible pins hingedly connected with each side plate and lading through the intermediate plate and the other side plate, means in ach side plate for engaging the ends of :he pins of the other side plate, and means for1 preventing the spreading of the plates While the pins are so engaged but adapted to release the plates when the pins are disengaged.

ll. A loose leaf binder comprising a back plate, tivo side plates and an intermediate plate hingedly connected with the back plate, a series of extensible pins hingedly connected with each side plate and leading through the intermediate plate and the other side plate, means on each side plate for en gaging the tips of the pins of the other side plate ivhile permitting the side plate to rock, and means for disengaging said tips and locking the plate against said roeking movement.

l2. A pin for temporary binders comprising an inner member having a support at its inner end and its outer end made tubular, and an outer member Whose body is slidably mounted in the tubular portion of the inner member, the inner extremity of the outer member being turned down and the outer extremity being headed.

ln testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERCK YUM. DUSTAN.

W'itnesses FANNY S. CLiirr, E. J. Dormi.

@opies of this patent maybe obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C. 

